


Back Together

by ihavenoideawhoiam



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: A little crack, Catra (She-Ra) Needs a Hug, Catra (She-Ra) Redemption, Catra has PTSD, Catra is just so done, F/F, Fluff and Angst, I'm Going to Hell, I'm soft okay, Lesbian Disaster Adora (She-Ra), Lesbians in love folks, Male OC - Freeform, POV Catra (She-Ra), but also so whipped, im sorry I couldn't help myself, no beta reader we die like women, protective adora, soft catradora - Freeform, there's like one dirty joke so I made it T rated
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:48:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24352360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ihavenoideawhoiam/pseuds/ihavenoideawhoiam
Summary: “Did you see that Catra girl? Isn’t she the one who destroyed Salineas?”“What is Queen Glimmer thinking?”“She doesn’t belong here-“Catra feels so broken, but Adora is here to put her back together.(Series of Oneshots about Catradora's life after S5)
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 32
Kudos: 297





	1. Cold

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr: arya-the-army

Catra feels so cold.

“Did you see that Catra girl? Isn’t she the one who destroyed Salineas?”  
“What was Queen Glimmer thinking?”  
“She doesn’t belong here-“

Catra feels her blood freeze at the words. She can feel everyone’s unrelenting glares on her back, and she doesn’t dare look up. She can’t face those people. Not after all she’s done to ruin Etheria.  
Melog lets out a weak meow, tensely pacing around her. Her claws card through their smooth coat as she pulls her knees closer to her body, trying to disappear.  
“Dad, look! That’s a cat lady!”a child shouts, his eyes wide open in excitement. Catra looks up, searching for the source of that voice.  
She is met with a glowering man pulling the child away from her, disgust written on every bit of his face. She looks away quickly, her stomach sinking to the ground. Her long nails are digging into her arms, it makes her feel a little better but it’s far from enough.

She needs to leave-

“Catra! Come here, I need you,”Adora grins, holding out her hand. Melog lets out a distressed sound, nuzzling their snout into Adora’s body, “..are you ok-“  
“I’m fine, jeez,”she mutters, her fingers digging into her palm. People are still glaring at her and it’s breaking her apart from the inside; their hatred is slowly stabbing into her and making it harder and harder to breathe.  
“Okay,”Adora replies, sounding far from convinced. But she knows that pushing too hard will only break Catra down further, “Come help me with some stuff?”  
“Yeah,”she breathes, letting herself be led out of the crowded hall. But she can still feel their eyes on her, slowly creeping up onto her and driving her insane.  
“Okay, so we’re going to have a little ball in a week and I wanted our outfits to be matching because we’re uh.. a thing, “Adora blushes slightly, her eyes flicking away for a second, “so help me pick.”  
She takes a good look at the pretty suits, although it’s hard to concentrate when everything in her is aching to run away and be alone like he should be.

“Catra? Is anyone in there?”Adora puts her hands on her hips, her head cocking to the side, “Do you want some fresh air? Or you can take your shoes off for a while, if you hate them that much-“  
“I gotta go,”she announces, turning to leave.  
“What? Why? Catra, it’ll take only a couple of minutes, stop being so-“  
“So annoying?”Catra scoffs, watching as Adora’s mild glare melts into a concerned frown, “So selfish? Yeah, I know, okay?”  
“What are you-“  
“I don’t belong here, Adora,”she shouts, her eyes stinging with unshed tears, “I don’t belong with these people. I’ve done too much to live like a normal person. And I’m far too broken to be with someone like you.”

With that, she turns around, attempting to march off until Adora pulls her back by the hand. She yelps as she’s shoved into a wall, face to face with an angry Adora.  
“Who told you that?”he snapped, her clear blue eyes piercing into Catra’s being. She realises she’s said too much and she looks away desperately, holding back tears, “ _Who said that to you, Catra?_ ”

She lets out a sarcastic laugh, prying Adora’s hand off her shoulder.  
“No one has to say anything. Can’t you see how these people look at me? I took their home. I almost killed their friends. I don’t deserve their forgiveness.”  
“Catra, everyone on this planet would be dead if not for you,”Adora argues, her eyes flashing dangerously, “So stop saying that to yourself!”  
“You haven’t seen how they look at me,”she whispers, burying her head into her girlfriend’s neck, “They _hate_ me. And it’s my fault.”  
“They don’t know what you’ve been through. They don’t know what Hordak and Shadow Weaver did to you. They don’t get to decide what you are.”  
A single tear streams down her neck and onto Adora’s shoulder.  
“Oh, _Catra_..”

“Stop,”she manages, her body shaking in Adora’s arms. She can hear the love and worry in her girlfriend’s voice and it scares her. No one’s ever held her close like Adora is doing and no one has ever treated her like she means something to them. She doesn’t know what to do with the overwhelming love that Adora gives her and she’s scared she’ll mess this up too.  
“I know they’re mad,”Adora sighs into her ear, “I know they don’t want to trust you. But it takes time for people to forgive. Until then, you have our friends. You have _me_.”  
“You’re so sappy,”she complains, brushing Adora’s hand away.  
“But you love me, don’t you?”she asks, raising an eyebrow teasingly.  
“Maybe,”comes the muttered reply, almost too quiet to be heard. 

And suddenly, Adora’s lips are on hers and a gentle palm settles on the back of her neck, pulling her closer. She brings her shaking arms to wrap around Adora’s waist, getting as close to her as she can.

It’s like the crushing weight on her soul lifted for just a minute, and she could focus on nothing but the feeling of Adora’s lips on her own. It’s like she’s floating in outer space again.  
“We can decide on the outfits later,” Adora suggests, her lips brushing against Catra’s every couple of seconds, “It’s cuddle time.”  
“Ew,”Catra rolls her eyes, while Melog traitorously leaps around in joy. 

Stupid cat.

Then Adora picks her up off the ground, laughing when she lets out a startled yelp and carries her into bed in the cheesiest way possible. And Catra hates that she loves it.

She feels warm.


	2. Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She knows. She knows she doesn’t deserve Adora. She doesn’t deserve love. She doesn’t even know why anyone bothers with her and what they do it for.
> 
> So why is Adora with her?

“Don’t you _get_ it? I love you! I always have,”Catra sobs, her arms wrapped around Adora’s limp body, “So _please_ , just this once- stay.”  
Adora grimaces slightly, her body tensing.  
“No,”she mutters, her eyes fluttering closed, “you hurt me..so..much….”  
“Adora,”Catra gasps, her arms shaking as she holds the lifeless body closer to her, “ _Adora_. Adora, no. No, no, no, please, I’m sorry, don’t go- ADORA!”  
But she doesn’t reply, her half closed eyes staring deeply into space. She can’t hear Catra anymore.  
“NO!”she screams, burying her face in Adora’s neck, trying to force air into her lungs.

“Little sister,”Horde Prime drawls, “Did I not tell you this would happen? _She doesn’t want you_.”  
She can’t even say anything to him- her chest feels so tight that she thinks she’s having a heart attack.  
“Let me take away your pain,”he croons, reaching out to grab her face.  
No.

“NO,”she cries, sitting up so quickly that her back hurts. The bedroom is empty and dark and even the soft sheets under her body are suffocating.  
She pants heavily, roughly wiping her tears and sliding off the bed, her fists clenched in a pitiful attempt to stop her arms from shaking.  
“Adora?”she calls out, her voice pathetically small, “are you there?”  
The last words break off, filled with tears.

‘Let me take away your pain.’  
‘She doesn’t want you.’  
Shut up. Shut up, shut up-  
“SHUT UP!”she snarls, pulling at her hair sharply. She knows. She knows she doesn’t deserve Adora. She doesn’t deserve love. She doesn’t even know why anyone bothers with her and what they do it for.

She takes a look at the mirror.  
She looks terrible. Her hair is less messy than usual thanks to that haircut they gave her on Horde Prime’s ship, (she still shudders at the memory) but there are dark bags under her eyes and her face is covered in tears and sweat and grime. She looks like a cornered animal, trembling harshly. She’s so disgusting it hurts to look into her own reflection.

“Get it together, you idiot,”he growls to herself, clawing at her own skin. She gets her clothes back on, searching for the one person who can take away this pain just a little bit. 

Adora.

The entire palace seems to be empty apart from the guards at each room. They seem to hate her as much as the civilians do, because they shoot mild yet cold glares at her. She think she hears them laughing at the state she’s in, too. She doesn’t blame them. She would have done the same thing.

“Catra! Adora said you were asleep- oh, my,”Bow says, his eyes widening in concern, “You don’t look very good.”  
“Thanks,”she snorts, looking away in shame.  
“Why don’t you come with me? We’re talking about the reconstruction of Salineas and the nearby villages, so Adora should be there.”  
_‘She doesn’t want you.’_  
“No thanks,” she manages tightly, turning to go back into that terrible bedroom.  
“Nope, none of that,”Bow announces, grabbing Catra by the shoulders and hauling her through the large doors in front of them.  
“No, stop that. Stop, I swear, I’ll kill you-“  
“Catra?” Adora’s voice cuts through all the other conversations. Catra glowers at Bow one last time before facing her girlfriend, barely looking into her eyes, “What’s going on?”  
“Nothing,”she snarls, turning to leap out of the room when someone holds her hand, her grip gentle yet firm.  
“Come sit with me,”Adora suggests, although it sounds more like a command than anything and Catra doesn’t dare say no.  
“There aren’t any seats left, Princess Adora,”someone says, fixing Catra with an icy cold glare. Catra shudders, her shoulders hunching over. She wants to disappear.  
“No problem,”she shoots back, meeting their eyes, her sharp, blue eyes into theirs.  
“Come here, Catra.”  
“Adora, what- “she yelps as she’s pulled onto her girlfriend’s lap, their bodies fitting snugly together. She can feel her face turning an embarrassing shade of red.  
But Adora’s arms are wrapped tightly along her waist, rubbing comforting circles into her skin, and her chin is resting on Catra’s shoulder.  
There’s a moment of tense silence before Glimmer coughs loudly. She’s probably trying not to grin, but it isn’t really working. Perfuma holds back a happy giggle and Mermista rolls her eyes, a small smirk on her lips.  
“Right. So, I was thinking we can invest a little more resources into these towns right here..”

Catra’s getting sleepy.

Her eyes all are falling closed every couple of minutes and she bites her lip, determined not to look like even more of an idiot in front of all these people by falling asleep in the middle of a meeting.

Then Adora ruins everything by relaxing in her chair, letting Catra lay down on top of her and combing her hand through Catra’s scalp. It feels heavenly.  
“You can sleep,”Adora whispers into her ear, giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek, which makes Catra go even more red.

But Adora doesn’t even wait for her to deny it before voicing her own thoughts, pretending she didn’t say anything in the first place. And Catra’s too tired to argue, so she closes her eyes, letting everything fade away. So curls she her body into Adora's, purring as her warmth settles over her.

“I love you,”she hear faintly, before she drifts to sleep, and her heart flutters. The words sound so honest and final that some of the doubt that’s been cutting at her soul melts away. Everything goes dark.

Finally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think! Leave me some kudos and a comment if you like it. You can tell me if you don't like it too, as long as it's constructive criticism. Have a nice day :)


	3. Cake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora wants to bake a cake. Catra has no idea what's going on.

“Hey, Catra, wanna bake something?” Adora asks her, grinning from ear to ear.  
“..What’s baking?”Catra replies, squealing on the inside because her girlfriend’s eyes are literally sparkling with excitement.  
“Ugh, we have to do it. Then you’ll get to taste cake!”Adora gasps, “come on- to the kitchen!”  
“The kitchen- Adora, _wait_!”she complains, running after the blonde, trying not to bump into people as she slithers through the crowd in the hallways.  
——  
“Okay!”Adora announces, practically jumping up and down, “We get to be alone in the kitchen for an hour. We are going to make the best cake ever!”  
“Can you please tell me what the heck a cake is?”she groans in reply, although she can’t resist a fond smile.  
“It’s like, spongy and sweet and soft and _amazing_. We have to make one!”  
“Okay…”  
“Okay, we need butter first. Where’s the butter?”  
“What’s- okay never mind.”  
“It’s a blob of yellowish stuff, I think.”  
“Like this?”  
“Hmm, maybe. That could be mayonnaise … oh, well, we’ll have to try!”

Catra chuckles, shaking her head. It’s pretty obvious that Adora has no idea what she’s doing, but she looks pretty darn adorable messing around the kitchen, so she can’t really complain.  
“Okay, sugar. Sugar is sweet. There are so many different kinds of flavours! I didn’t even know there were flavours apart from grey and brown! Okay, so we have to put that in here- _oh no_.”

Catra presses her lips together, trying not to laugh when she sees a puff of white powder settle on Adora’s face. The mixer turns on, sending an even bigger cloud into the air. Adora’s face is practically covered in that stuff.

She snorts loudly, roaring with laughter. 

“You’re not helping!”Adora whines, pouting. There’s that powdery stuff on her lips too.  
Catra steps forward, still laughing. She leans forward to kiss Adora, tasting the white powder on her lips. Huh. It is pretty good.  
“Tastes nice,”she teases, leaning against the counter and watching the blonde turn into a blushing, stuttering mess. She has no idea how she did that without exploding, honestly.

“So, ‘dry ingredients’ next, she reads out, peering into the stained pages of the cookbook, “What’s flour?”  
Adora just stares at her blankly for a minute, blinking rapidly.  
“Uh, flour. Right,”she blurts out, turning so that her back faces Catra, “It’s also white, but it doesn’t really taste like anything.”  
“Uh huh.”  
——  
“What’s the difference between baking powder and baking soda?”  
“Adora, do you realise who you’re talking to?”  
“…my girlfriend?”  
“T-that’s no what I- _ugh, you idiot!_ ”  
“You own my last braincells, my love.”  
“I can TELL.”  
——  
“Okay, so now we mix everything together!”  
“So, when do we add the eggs?”  
“..we didn’t add the eggs?”  
“Adora!”  
——  
“Okay, we’re done,”Adora sighs, collapsing onto the counter, “Time to get this stupid thing into the oven.”  
Catra lets out a sigh too, shaking her head wearily.  
“Remind me why we tried this?”  
She receives a terribly adorable pout, “I didn’t know it would be this hard!”  
“Idiot,”Catra mutters, dusting her hands off, “This makes me want to shower. I hate showers.”  
“Sorry,”Adora chuckles nervously, scratching the top of her head and getting a whole bunch of flour in her hair, “darn it, we messed up the entire kitchen.”  
“You messed up the entire kitchen, bird-brain.”  
“Gee, thanks, Catra,”Adora murmurs, frowning. Catra’s heart sinks a little when she sees that.  
“Okay, okay, it was the both of us, don’t get angry.”  
“Whatever.”  
“You look real cute with all that flour in your hair, though,”she teases, wiping some of it off. She can see that Adora is blushing a little even under the layer of flour stuck to her face.  
“Okay, let’s get out of here.”  
——  
“ _What in the universe_ did you two do to my kitchen?”the cooks shouts, storming into the dining hall. Adora freezes, her mouth hanging open around a spoonful of food.  
“We- uh, we baked?”she replies, apparently trying to smile but failing miserably. She looks like she’s twisted her jaw. How does she still look pretty?  
‘Because you’re whipped,’ scoffs a voice at the back of her head. True.  
“Whatever it was, honey, that wasn’t baking,”the cook rants, “Why does that thing that came out the oven taste like sweet mayonnaise?”  
Adora winces, curling into herself.  
“So it was mayonnaise, huh?”  
“And you, cat girl!”  
Catra’s hairs stand on end at the sharp tone, “H-huh?”  
“I saw you stealing cookies from the kitchen this morning,”he chides, “all you gotta do is _ask_ , honey bun.”  
Oh my god. She wants to dig herself a grave and dive into it. This is absolutely disgraceful, her face is burning and her tail is stiff as a rod-  
“Also, I made y’all actual cake, so eat up and make sure not to set foot in my kitchen again,”he hisses, storming out of the hall.

Then the entire room bursts into laughter. And Catra joins in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea what this was :O
> 
> I did all the stupid shit they did (except for the mayonnaise), because my brain cells decide to take a vacation whenever I enter the kitchen :)


	4. Hot Springs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The scars that she put on Adora's back are going to be there forever, haunting her and reminding her of how unworthy she is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...my laptop broke, so I hung around like a potato for a couple days *nervous laughter*  
> anyway, hi!

“..so, basically, you want me to take a bath?”Catra deadpans, raising an eyebrow, “Don’t even try.”  
“No, Catra! It’s not really a bath, it’s just… we get into the nice, warm water and we hang out and relax! Please try it with me once?”  
She groans, throwing her head back in exhasperation. She already knows what’s coming next- the puppy eyes.  
The god-damned puppy eyes that turn her into a useless puddle of _mush_. It’s like her eyes have turned into giant blue orbs that contain the entire universe in them and they’re somehow hypnotizing _Catra_ of all people into taking a bath.

_Why._

“I hate you,”she mutters, grabbing a towel. And because she knows she’s powerless against Adora and her adorable little grin, she turns around so that the blonde doesn’t see her smiling to herself like a lunatic.  
“Ugh, you’re the best, Catra!”the girl cries, jumping onto Catra’s back and wrapping her arm’s around her shoulders. She almost purrs when she feels the warmth of Adora’s skin on hers.  
“Um, _duh_. It took you this long to figure it out? You- ow!”  
Adora mocks her with a pout before hopping out of the room, towel and spare clothes in hand. And Catra follows, soothing the side of her head while she jogs to keep up.

\---

“Ahh, this is going to be amazing!”Adora says, grinning as she disappears into the changing rooms, “Hurry up, Catra!”  
“Fine, fine. Jeez,”she grumbles, pulling off her clothes until she’s left in plain underclothes and a towel.  
“You ready?”she hears. Her girlfriends sounds so excited that she’s almost eager to join her in this torture.  
“Coming, coming,”she sighs, smiling fondly as she walks towards the water, unease pooling in her gut.

Man, she hates the water.

“Jump in with me?”the blonde asks, her blue eyes alight with excitement, and Catra is tempted to listen to her, but then rationality kicks in and she lets out a firm, loud _“no”_.

Adora hops in by herself, resulting in a loud splash of water in reply and she steps away, grimacing slightly. Why does she do this to herself?

“Okay, your turn. Just get in slowly…”Adora beckons, holding out her hand tentatively.  
Catra obeys, dipping her leg into the water. She doesn’t wants to admit it, but the warmth of the water feels like heaven to her injured, sore body. Maybe Adora knew what she was talking about after all.

She doesn’t push Catra either, she just holds her hand out firmly and lets Catra lower her body into the hot water until she’s completely submerged.  
“So, how’s it feel?”Adora asks, looking at Catra with wide, hopeful eyes.  
“..Not too bad,”she admits roughly, feeling her face go a little red. Adora knows her too well.  
“Oh, okay, thank god,”Adora breathes, her body relaxing in the water, “so, we just sit here and talk or… I don’t know. Whatever we want, I guess.”  
“Huh,”she cocks her head to the side, pretending to think.  
“How’s this?”  
She splashes some water into her girlfriend’s face, drawing out a surprised yelp followed by an outraged ‘hey’. Then she feels hot water hitting her body and she hisses, her fur standing on end.  
“You little-“  
The splashing of water echoes through the entire room, along with excited shrieks and laughs. Catra laughs, letting herself relax. This feels great.  
“Ah- wait, some of it got in my eyes,”Adora laughs, turning around and rubbing at her eyes in an attempt to get the water out.  
And that’s when Catra sees the scars.

She freezes, like her entire body has been dunked into freezing cold water despite the temperature of the hot spring. She doesn’t even notice when Adora turns back around and starts the water fight again, looking cheerful as always- at least for a little while.  
“Hello. Etheria to Catra,”Adora calls out, wading through the water to lay her hands on Catra’s stiff shoulders, “You okay?”  
Catra says nothing staring at her shaking hands in terror. She’s behaved like a monster. She’s hurt so many people, including the person she loves the most and she never stopped to think about the damage she’s done. She’s disgusting.  
“Catra? Please say something,”Adora says, her voice small, “if you want to go, we can-“  
“Those scars...”she chokes out, clutching her hands close to her body and panicking, “Look at the scars on your back.”  
“What, these?”Adora asks, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear and running a hand over her back while giving Catra a deep, concerned frown, “Come on, it's nothing- Are you okay?”  
“Am I okay? _Am I okay?_ Look at what I did to you!” Catra yells, her voice raw with anger and fear, “H-how can you even stand to be next to me when I-“  
“Catra, listen-“  
“NO. Stay away from me,”she shouts, backing off, “Don’t do this to yourself.”  
“Catra, listen to me, _now_. Can you just get over yourself and listen to me for one second?” Adora shouts back, standing up in the water so that she towers over Catra.

And she flinches, because it’s second nature to her. She doesn’t mean to overreact like that, but she can’t help the overwhelming dread that takes over her. She can’t help the way her tail wraps around her body and she seems to shrink to a corner, waiting for some sort cruel punishment, because that’s what happens when she gets screamed at and _she can’t help it-_

“Catra? No, please don’t cry- Catra, I’m sorry,”Adora pleads. That’s when Catra realizes that tears are running down her cheeks and her breaths are coming out as small frantic hiccups and her chest feels so tight because she can’t _breathe_.  
“Catra, please listen to me. I have two things to say,”Adora says, letting out a shaky breath as her hands warp around Catra’s shaking body, “Are you listening to me?”  
Catra sobs, nodding her head shakily. This is pathetic. _She_ is pathetic.  
“Your scars are worse than mine.”  
She’s about to ask Adora what the heck she’s talking about, when she continues.  
“These stupid scars are already half gone, don’t you see that?” Adora says, her voice breaking. She reaches backwards to run a palm along the faded marks, “The scars inside you are not like these. They’ve been there for way longer and they hurt so much more.”

Catra starts sobbing even harder, and Adora pulls her so that she can cry into her girlfriend’s shoulder. A soothing hand runs up and down her body gingerly, making her shiver slightly.  
“Sorry,”she whimpers, wrapping her arms around her body because this feels so raw, it’s like her soul has been stripped down for everyone to see her scars and her pain.  
“I’m not done yet,”Adora replies, her voice strained with tears, “You have to believe me when I say this- this is _nothing_ compared to what I’d go through to take away all your pain, so don’t you dare beat yourself up over a stupid mistake. Understand?”

Catra practically falls into Adora’s arms, feeling everything inside her being pulled apart and put back together again. Adora is like her lifeline, and she clings to her desperately, like she's never going to let go again.

“I love you, you complete, total _idiot_.”  
“I l-love you too- you have no idea-“  
“I do. Trust me, I do.”

“...Do you wanna go do something else besides crying in a pool?”Adora asks after a minute, giving Catra a watery smile.  
“As long as we’re not cooking,”Catra sniffs, still clinging onto Adora as they climb out of the water.  
“Catra!”she groans, rolling her eyes hard, “will you ever let that go?”  
“Not in a million years.”

"Adora, everyone's going to stare at us.."  
"pfft, see if I care.Going by the sounds, they'll probably be thinking we had very violent and emotional-"  
"I'm breaking up with you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This wasn't supposed to be this long or angsty but what can I say? I'm crazy :) hope you guys liked it!  
> Tell me what you think<3


End file.
